The head of the pro-independence ruling coalition in Catalonia confirmed that they will not vote in favor of the budget. Without their votes, it’s less likely that Spain’s president Pedro Sánchez will have his budget approved.

Pro-independence parties repeatedly demanded a "gesture" from Sánchez, showing that his government was not as tough on Catalonia as his predecessor, the conservative Mariano Rajoy, ousted from office thanks to the support from Catalan parties.

The solicitor general, representing the Spanish government in the case against pro-independence leaders, lowered the accusations from rebellion to the lesser offense of sedition. According to Torra, this was "not a gesture, but an absolute disdain for the incarcerated democrats."